Exhibition bench



June 21, 1938. c. A. GEHRET EXHIBITION BENCH Filed Aug. 6, 1956 PatentedJune 21, 1938 PATENT OFFICE EXHIBITION BENCH Charles A. Gehret, EastNorriton Township,

Montgomery County, Pa.

Application August 6, 1936, Serial No. 94,681

1 Claim.

This invention relates to improvements in exhibition benches of thecharacter used in dog shows or commercially for display of canine andother live stock.

A principal object of the invention is to provide an exhibition benchconstruction of improved knock-down type, said bench being characterizedby the inclusion of a relatively few individual 1 parts, simplicity ofform and assembly, and ruggedness and durability.

A more specific object of the invention is to provide an exhibitionbench structure comprising a plurality of standardized units orcage-forming elements each adapted to be folded into a relatively smallcompass and being readily assembled and disassembled into and from theset-up structure.

An exhibition bench made in accordance with my invention is illustratedin the attached drawing, in which:

Fig. 1 is a view in perspective of the base member which in assemblyforms the floor of the individual cage units;

Fig. 2 is a view in perspective of one of the standardized cage units;

Fig. 3 is a view in perspective of the end panel which with the basemember and the various cage units completes the assembled structure, ashereinafter described;

Fig. 4 is a view in perspective of the bench in partial assembly;

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary view showing a detail of the construction, and

Fig. 6 is a fragmentary sectional view showing a modification within thescope of the invention.

With reference to Fig. 1, the base member or floor panel of elongatedrectangular form comprises a metallic frame I, the longitudinal andtransverse members of which are formed preferably, though notnecessarily, of channel sections; and a panel or body element of sheetmaterial, such for example as ply wood, the edges of which are embracedby the channel frame elements. This panel may be of any length desiredor required to accommodate a specific number of individual cage units,as hereinafter described. It will be noted that the frame elements I areprovided with apertures 3, the function of which is also hereinafterdescribed.

The bench structure further comprises a plurality of standardized cageunits, one of which is shown in Fig. 2. Each of these units comprises atop panel 4, front and rear panels 5 and 6 respectively and one sidepanel I, each of these panels being secured by suitable hinges to theedges of the top panel. Each of the top and front panels 4 and 5comprises a suitable rectangular frame 8 preferably of channel sectionwhich supports the wire or other mesh 9 which constitutes the body ofthe panel. The rear and side panels 6 and I also each comprise arectangular frame 8 similar to the frames of the panels 4 and 5, butinstead of wire mesh the bodies of these panels are composed preferablyof solid sheet material H, such for example as ply wood.

The rear panel B is secured to the rear edge of the top panel 4 by meansof hinges I2 which are secured to the outer faces of the respectivepanels and which permit the rear panel 6 to be folded flatly against theupper face of the top panel 4. The front panel 5 is secured to the frontedge of the top panel 4 by means of hinges I3, l3 also secured to theouter faces of the respective panels, and the hinge elements areextended and offset as shown in Fig. 5 so that the pintles lie wellabove the top edge of the front panel 5 to permit this panel beingfolded upwardly over the top of the panel 4, and to lie flatly upon thepanel 6 after the latter has been folded over upon the top panel 4 aspreviously described, see Fig. 5. The side panel I is secured to theside edge of the top panel 4 by means of hinges l4 which are secured tothe inner faces of the respective panels so as to permit the side panel1 being folded under and to lie flatly against the under face of thepanel 4. When so folded, the panels lie snugly flat against each otherand occupy a minimum of space.

Each of the panels. 6 and l is provided at its lower or outer edge andon its inner face with a pair of angle brackets l5 which when the unitsare assembled with the base panel l-2 bear upon the upper faces of theframe elements of that panel, and each of the brackets is provided witha pin l6 which pins are adapted to enter the apertures 3 in thelongitudinal elements of the frame I to thereby in effect interlockthese panels with the base member. The apertures 3 in the longitudinalframe elements of the base panel are relatively so arranged that thecage units when assembled thereon will lie in contiguity to each other,as illustrated in Fig. 4, so that the side panel I of one cage unit mayform the opposite side panel of the adjoining cage unit, but one of thecage units occupying an end position on the base panel will be left withan open side which must be closed to complete that unit. To this end, Iprovide a separate end panel illustrated in Fig. 3, which consists ofthe typical rectangular frame ii and a body member l8 combined with theframe IT, as previously described, and formed preferably of solid sheetmaterial, such as ply Wood. The upper and lower members of the frame llare provided with angle brackets 19 which form bearings for this endpanel upon the base frame and also a support for the associated cageunit, which in assembly rests upon the brackets I9 at the upper edge ofthe panel. Each of the brackets I9 is provided with a pin 2!, the pinsof the lower brackets entering the apertures 3 in the transverseelements of the base frame 9, and the pins of the upper brackets of theend panel being adapted to enter apertures 22, 22 in the frame of theupper panel 4 of the associated cage unit. By this means, the end panelH-I.8 is securely locked to the base panel and to the frame of theassociated cage unit and forms one side of, and a support for, the saidunit. The front panel 5 of each of the cage units is provided at itslower edge'with a spring bolt 23, which is adapted to enter anappropriately placed aperture 3 in the frame of the base panel l-2. Byretracting this bolt 23, it will be apparent that the front panel 5 maybe elevated on the hinges i3 to give access to the interior of the cage.

In Fig. 6 I have illustrated a modification wherein the pin bracketsl5-l5 have been replaced by a stud 24 which passes through a holedrilled in the'metal frame 8 and is screwed into the wood or other panelH. The outer end of this stud forms the pin which extends in the frame Iof the floor panelas previously described; and this outer end may beextended and threaded, if desired, for reception. of a nut 25 topositively fasten the cage units to the floor panel. This form of pinmay also be used at the bottom of the panel Iii-H8 in place of thebracket ls-Zl.

From the foregoing description, it will be noted that the benchstructure comprises the base panel l2, which may vary in longitudinaldimension in accordance with the number of cages required, a single endpanel ll'l8 and one or more of the cage units 5-6'l8. It will be notedfurther that the cage units are of identical and standardizedconstruction and may be used in any required number or in accordancewith the capacity of the particular base panel employed. It will benoted further that the cage units may be removed individually from thebase structure without affecting the other units, with the exception, ofcourse, of that one of the end units which employs the separate endpanel ll-IB.

The structure is characterized by its extreme simplicity ofconstruction, the ease of assembly and disassembly, its flexibility asto choice of the number of cage units to be used, and the ability tofold the individual cage units into relatively small compass for storageor transportation.

I claim:

In an exhibition bench, the combination with a base panel, of aplurality of cage units each comprising a top panel, front and rearpanels and one side panel and adapted to be mounted on the base inseries arrangement and with the open side of each unit at the closedside of an adjoining unit, and detachable means for closing the openside of the terminal unit of said series, said front, rear and sidepanels being hinged to the edges of the top panel, and said hinges beingconstructed and arranged to permit the folding together of said front,rear and side panels in face-to-face relation with the top panel,cooperative means on the base panel and at the bottoms of said rear andside panels for interlocking said panels with the base whereby said rearand side panels may function jointly and with the base as a stable andsubstantially rigid supporting frame for the individual unit maintainingsaid unit in its rectangular form, and

leaving said front panel free to swing as a tophinged door on the toppanel, and means for releasably locking the front panel in its normalclosed position.

CHARLES A. GEHRET.

